Bovada Account 70 Days Under Investigation, zero communication

[skolar]

See This is why I can't believe that you didn't do anything wrong. You haven't been paid in 4 months, no communication with Bovada and you won't file a dispute with the gaming commission? LOL.. I think the situation has gone past sour rofl.

Sometimes its better not to be antagonistic. If BMR is able to resolve this without a long drawn out legal process, that would be much preferred. While I want to recover my funds, and sooner is always better, I don't need the money to live on or anything, so I am going to go about this in the cleanest way possible. For all I know this is a big misunderstanding, and at the end I will have my funds and a fully functioning Bovada account. I can't imagine Bovada wanting to do business with anyone who brings legal action against them.

 

[crew34]

Making a complaint to the gaming commission is not legal. It is not a lawsuit. They investigate complaints quite like BMR, but for some reason, you refuse to go that route. That's why I'm making my assumption you did something nefarious.. Most likely the VPN.. Having more fire power is always better. If your relationship with Bovada is tainted, so what go play somewhere else then.. Who would want to play with a book that screwed someone for 4+ months anyway anyway?

From CEG website

IMPORTANT NOTICE
Operators that reside under sublicense with Curaçao eGaming ("CEG") are held to the strictest compliance standards. Any communications with End Users (players) should be handled by the Operator in a professional manner. Operators should properly handle any timely and fully motivated complaints within seven (7) Business Days after the Complaint has been filed. CEG can only intervene if it finds that the said communications has not been in line with set policies. This also means that CEG cannot intervene if you have not properly identified yourself to the Operator when filing your Complaint to the Operator. You can only file a Complaint with CEG about the Complaint handling by the Operator, if you have made a serious attempt to resolve your dispute with the Operator and it did not work out. If this applies to you, please file your Complaint below.

 

[sportsbettor5]

my assumption you did something nefarious.. Most likely the VPN

While you might have a point about the commission, the idea that using a VPN is "nefarious" is absurd.

 

[skolar]

Making a complaint to the gaming commission is not legal. It is not a lawsuit. They investigate complaints quite like BMR, but for some reason, you refuse to go that route. That's why I'm making my assumption you did something nefarious.. Most likely the VPN.. Having more fire power is always better. If your relationship with Bovada is tainted, so what go play somewhere else then.. Who would want to play with a book that screwed someone for 4+ months anyway anyway?

From CEG website

IMPORTANT NOTICE
Operators that reside under sublicense with Curaçao eGaming ("CEG") are held to the strictest compliance standards. Any communications with End Users (players) should be handled by the Operator in a professional manner. Operators should properly handle any timely and fully motivated complaints within seven (7) Business Days after the Complaint has been filed. CEG can only intervene if it finds that the said communications has not been in line with set policies. This also means that CEG cannot intervene if you have not properly identified yourself to the Operator when filing your Complaint to the Operator. You can only file a Complaint with CEG about the Complaint handling by the Operator, if you have made a serious attempt to resolve your dispute with the Operator and it did not work out. If this applies to you, please file your Complaint below.

I explained the VPN very clearly and openly here and to Bovada. I was issued a warning by Bovada during a successful withdrawal using the VPN and never used it again. I confirmed with customer support that my account was fine as long as I didn't use the VPN. There is nothing nefarious about this. I use a VPN on my work PC as part of my normal work.

Also if this was the reason they should not have told me it was OK and allowed me to keep betting. They also have not terminated my account so if they viewed it as a nefarious ToS violation that would be a weird way to handle it.

It also says in that CEG legalese that I need to make a serious effort to resolve it and have it not work out. Bovada keeps telling me to be patient and I am waiting for a response from BMR. Until one of those 2 situations changes I dont think I have satisfied that requirement?

Its really weird that you assume the worst just because I havent immediately taken your advice to do something, that I said I am keeping as an open option.

 

[crew34]

While you might have a point about the commission, the idea that using a VPN is "nefarious" is absurd.

Why don't sportsbooks allow you to have a VPN Sportsbettor5? They do not want you to use them for a reason. I don't think that statement was absurd.

 

[elihu.feustel]

Why don't sportsbooks allow you to have a VPN Sportsbettor5? They do not want you to use them for a reason. I don't think that statement was absurd.

It's easier to multi-account and bonus abuse. If you need a clean (non VPN) IP for every new bonus cheat account, you have to have a physical location, not a VPN. Each account then requires an ID + location, vs a borrowed ID + VPN.

 

[sportsbettor5]

Why don't sportsbooks allow you to have a VPN Sportsbettor5? They do not want you to use them for a reason. I don't think that statement was absurd.

@elihu.feustel answered your question literally, and accurately, but I think your question was rhetorical.

The truth is that VPNs are useful for many purposes, including but not limited to privacy protection. I have never multi-accounted and never taken a bonus but I always use a VPN when logging into sportsbooks.

 

[skolar]

VPNs are a perfectly legitimate tool for a lot of reasons, one of which I need for my non-sports betting work. I understand why a book would disallow them and I made arrangements to be able to use Bovada without using my work PC to satisfy them. The VPN really shouldn't even be relevant unless they said "ok you are good", then saw me have a big withdrawal and wanted to go back on that. But even then wouldn't they have canceled my account and cited the VPN rather than just keep it under investigation for 5 months? So we have either them going back on what they said, them being incompetent, or them being straight shady as possible answers. We dont even know which it though because they refuse to answer anything.

 

[slightlyfunny]

I used VPN the whole time even during payout and they paid me nearly 30k no problem

They must think you are a multiaccounter

 

[skolar]

I used VPN the whole time even during payout and they paid me nearly 30k no problem

They must think you are a multiaccounter

I used the VPN the whole time and the first 7 withdrawals were fine. The 8th they processed and said "please dont use a vpn". I said ok. I didnt use a VPN anymore. 9th withdrawal which was the largest, account under investigation now for 5 months

 

[slightlyfunny]

All I can say is I did max withdrawal 3x in a few hours with VPN no issues at all

If you are honest then you deserve your money, period

 

[skolar]

I have not heard from Bovada in 5 months, and Matt (BMR dispute analyst) in over a week.

 

[skolar]

Update: Nothing to really update. Emailed BMR but no response yet. Bovada still giving me the silent "we are still investigating" treatment.

 

[skolar]

it will be 6 months soon. Kind of crazy. "Investigations" don't take this long. During this time BMR has had someone start to work on my case and then quit or change jobs and no one else seems to have taken over yet or followed up with me.

 

[Ace7550]

it will be 6 months soon. Kind of crazy. "Investigations" don't take this long. During this time BMR has had someone start to work on my case and then quit or change jobs and no one else seems to have taken over yet or followed up with me.

Yep, they robbed a bunch of us. And they are still rated A+ here. It's horseshit.

 

[skolar]

Update:

I was recently contacted by Lou here at BMR to start working on my case. He said he would be in contact with Bovada about my situation. Yesterday evening I received this email from Bovada after 5 months of "investigation" and silence:

Hello,



Upon investigation, it has been discovered that your account is linked to other accounts involved in Bonus Abuse, a direct breach of the Player Agreement laid out in our Terms of Services. Please refer to the below clause for details:

6.8 Abuse of Bonus Programs. Bonus programs are intended for recreational bettors only. Professional players or players considered, in our sole discretion, to be abusing the bonus system by any means may have bonuses revoked and be subject to further sanctions. Bonus abuse may be defined as (but not restricted to) clients cashing out for the purpose of re-depositing, depositing on top of an existing balance, or referring new accounts that they are using themselves. Sanctions may be in the form of increased rollover requirements or loss of bonus privileges altogether for the offending Account as well as any linked Accounts. We reserve the right to restrict eligibility for special offers and bonuses when necessary. This includes (but is not limited to) placing geographic restrictions on match bonuses due to bonus abuse. Please refer to the Help section for further information regarding additional details concerning the eligibility, conditions, terms and usage of bonuses offered.

6.2 Fraudulent Activity. If, in our reasonable discretion, we determine that a player has engaged in fraudulent, unlawful, dishonest or improper activity (including, without limitation, the usage of a VPN, proxy or similar service that masks or manipulates the identification of your real location, or by otherwise providing false or misleading information, or by making bets, wagers or poker play through a third party or on behalf of a third party) we reserve the right to immediately terminate or deny a player access to their Account. In such event, all Account balances (including both deposits and any winnings) shall be forfeited and we reserve the right to disclose information (including the identity of the player) to applicable parties including but not limited to banks, credit card companies and/or any person or entity that has the legal right to such information, and/or taking legal action against such player.


By breaching our terms, the decision has been made to terminate our business relationship with you. Any available balance has been seized.

This decision was made with careful consideration of all the evidence and is final.


Regards,

Bovada Security


The timing is obviously not coincidental. They got some pressure to look at my case and this is what they came back with. Note their careful wording. They don't accuse my account of doing anything wrong. They say it is "linked" to accounts that have engaged in bonus abuse.

I will restate some facts because they seem material here:
1) I do not have multiple accounts at Bovada
2) I do not work for or with a syndicate
3) I do not place bets for other people
4) I have never used the referral program
5) I was very careful to never bet more than 50% of my deposit amount while clearing a bonus. But I am not even sure this is relevant since they don't accuse my account of abusing bonuses. Just being "linked" to them.


I don't know what being "linked to an account" even means tbh. Did someone place similar bets to me? I think many of us have people we tail for certain markets, so that is possible but would not be an abuse of ToS.

Their rules for bonus abuse talk about limiting bonuses, removing them etc. But they chose to seize my entire balance and end their relationship and "it is final".

They provide no evidence or reference for any of the alleged violations.

I am hoping BMR does not let this end here. I responded to Lou that this was not an acceptable outcome, and asked what if anything BMR can do. @BMR Genie i don't know how to tag him here or if he is even on the forums but in case he had info to add here or wanted to see this post, I would appreciate you looping him in.

Thank you to anyone taking the time to read this. Beware of Bovada rn, as its possible to have your balance seized for...well I am still not entirely sure.

 

[keithrichard]

I don't play there anymore anyway but I certainly never will consider doing so in the future. Good luck skolar.

 

[mt1334]

I am in the same boat. I withdrew 2500 and haven’t got any updates in 4 days. I assume it was my bonus. I just wish I didn’t need the money as bad as I do. Anything I can do to better my chances of getting an answer?

 

[Ace7550]

I am in the same boat. I withdrew 2500 and haven’t got any updates in 4 days. I assume it was my bonus. I just wish I didn’t need the money as bad as I do. Anything I can do to better my chances of getting an answer?

Good god another Bovada victim. How many people need to get screwed by them before their rating gets suspended or lowered?

 

[Ace7550]

I am in the same boat. I withdrew 2500 and haven’t got any updates in 4 days. I assume it was my bonus. I just wish I didn’t need the money as bad as I do. Anything I can do to better my chances of getting an answer?

Many players have had their accounts suspended for months. I'm sorry but the odds that you will be paid are very low.